hälts gone Oregon

Recently adventure called. It goes by many names such as a trip, a journey, or a pilgrimage. Following a long stretch of art making I was ready for a recharge. It is not so easy for me to just walk away from responsibilities and obligations, they are omnipresent and I have a way of overriding these primal impulses. We are creatures of habit, and it’s easy to get sucked into the vortex forgetting there are many vortexes, similar to a river with eddies one has the potential to paddle and navigate, getting to new places and getting aquatinted with new geography. It has been my experience that acting on the adventure impulse can lead to great discoveries, whether that be of self, or of magical places that exist on this beautiful planet.

And now a little exerpt from the book of travels…

So before I could be swayed by doubt I packed my bags, and bought a cheap flight to Portland, thanks to Gord and air miles. My plan was to meet up with my friend, whom I will refer to as Moon. Moon was in the midst of a road trip in the States, she is the one who planted the seed to come meet her. The day before my departure I was tested, this comes as no surprise because everything leading up to the trip was just working out too damn well. It turned out, thanks to my friend Gord over a fine cup of coffee, that my passport was expired. I was leaving in less than 48 hours. I went ballistic, at least for a moment, my mind began turning over like a plane propeller, I needed a miracle, it was that simple. Gord by now had pulled up in his cobalt cerulean blue VW van and we proceeded to head for a place where I could get passport photos taken. Of course when I arrived at the store there was no one at the desk, I stood there for what seemed like forever, panic began to sink its claws, I tried to keep it at bay. An elderly lady joined me in the line, I turned and said to her, ” doesn’t seem to be anyone here to help us”, and I quickly explained my situation, she said, “good luck”, and I took this as a good sign. Perhaps sensing the delusion of grandeur, a store clerk came over, I gave him the low down, he quickly told me it would be at least 48 hours for me to get my passport. I said, “lets just see what happens”and he happily snapped my passport photo, perhaps the best one to date, he really nailed it, considering my last shocker of a passport photo. After a short wait of staring at prices of stuff on the shelves as a distraction, the clerk arrived with a grin and my passport photos. It also happened to be the beginning of Stampede in my hometown, the largest outdoor show on earth, so they say. I thought to myself, bummer. So Gord and I jumped in the van and took some back roads, and wouldn’t you know it we found a parking spot right in front of the government office. With surprising grace I jumped out and ran like a gazelle into the waiting room, much to the dismay of the security guard. Turns out a parade day is the best day to take care of business at a government building, there was no lines and I found myself face to face with a government clerk who was quite helpful and the fear loosened it’s grip. Turns out paying a little bit more money can get you out to of a pickle, and with a swipe of my debit card I would receive my passport in less than 24 hours, just in the nick of time. Next day I packed my bags, went back to the office and picked up my passport and headed to the airport. I was a man exhausted, thank goodness for adrenaline and the anticipation of a the adventure ahead. ‘Go time’ as Gord would say, first stop Portland for a couple days of city exploration, namely Powell’s Books, which I definitely did not have enoug money for, it is insane there, so many great books in one place, I nearly lost my mind, and my the contents of my wallet. Goddam there’s only one thing to do, power read and buy what you can, and than get the hell out of there! And I mean out of the city, so we did, next stop Nahalem.

fotoMahaloness

to be above the clouds is a privileged experience, as in a rare opportunity that I take great pleasure in.

And now a new hälts minimotion ‘Portland’ with soundscape ‘Portland is a type of concrete’ featuring flight footage and some street footage from the city of coffee, doughnuts, Powell’s Books, and bridges

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​Following a successful mission to Powell’s Books, it was time to hit the road. There really is no other place I would rather be than next to the ocean. The smell, the sand, the sounds, the marine air, it all just adds up to a massive soul hug, instantaneous internal happiness erupts and everything else just drifts out to sea.

Nahalem, Oregon coast, cold wind and sea and things that bite but you can’t see, beautiful as far as the eye can sea

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Mahaloness is an art blog documenting the inner spirit and journey of the living artist Shane Haltman, sometimes referred to as 'hälts'. He lives, breathes and makes art in Canada. Shane loves to travel to remote and exotic locations to create. He specializes in drawing, painting and movie making. Your visits are welcome and very much appreciated. Thank you, from the heart, hälts